The Messengers
by paynesgrey
Summary: They can all try to stop her, but she won't give up on seeing Peter again. Peter x Caitlin Oneshot.


The Messengers

Moments after Peter disappeared in front of her eyes, Caitlin felt a strange jarring sensation in her chest - raw and gritty. She held her midsection and leaned over. Before she could drop to her knees, strong arms pulled her back flush against a warm body. Her heart filled with elation.

"Peter?" She turned around, hopeful, only to stare into the face of someone unfamiliar. Her body tensed.

"Who -- who are you?" she asked, frightened. Her voice drawled with more demand. "Where's Peter?"

"I'm Hiro, and I'm here to take you back." He held her still, and his face was unwavering and placid. His dark eyes blinked at her with pity. She stiffened against him, struggling. "Peter can't save you right now. If you want to die in this time, then I'll let you go. But if you'll come with me, I can take you back to your own time. You'll be safe."

Caitlin felt the blood drain to her toes. Stay in this time and die? She thought with a shudder. Peter wouldn't dare leave her here. He loved her; she _knew_ it. So why wasn't he able to save her? And who was this person saving her instead?

She clenched her jaw and relaxed against his chest reluctantly. "Please, if you can take me back."

The strong man with Asian features held her in his arms and blinked, and instantly, she inhaled a hard breath. Her nightmare was over.

--

Her new savior treated her like a damsel in distress, yet he kept himself coldly detached from her emotions. There were no well-wishes or heartfelt reactions. Though, he watched her with relief. He said to her, "I would not recommend looking for Peter. Not now."

His warning perturbed her a little. Who was he to treat her like a child? Did all people with special abilities look down at non-special people like this? Peter never did.

"Why? What's happened to Peter? Where is he?" She grabbed onto Hiro's dark coat lapels and pulled desperately. "Is he...hurt?"

Gently, Hiro pulled her frantic arms away from him. He frowned, with more sympathy. It was starting to drive her mad. "Peter is with his family, but he's hurt in a way that you'd understand. His brother is dead, and he sent me to save you when he realized it was too late for himself. He almost..."

Hiro paused, and Caitlin filled in the blanks. He almost forgot, she said to herself. It was as obvious as the look in Hiro's eyes. Peter regained his memory and found his family, people who were looking for him that she had guessed about all along.

Still, that didn't stop her from wanting to see him. She had lost a brother too, and somewhere within those emotions of losing a loved one Caitlin knew that they should be mourning together. It was right - it was their _way_.

Hiro turned from her, the silence engulfing them. Obviously, he wouldn't offer her any more information. He whisked her away from a frayed future to where she belonged, like a dutiful, unattached hero was supposed to do for an innocent. He watched her intently, gauging the emotions that swirled on her face.

"Goodbye," he said.

"Thank you, Hiro!" she said finally before he blinked away. She didn't know him - and she didn't like him too much, but he did save her. And despite his warnings, he gave her a second chance to find Peter and start anew.

At least she knew that Peter was alive.

--

A month after she fixed up the tavern and pulled herself together - after the nightmares of the future began to fade away - Caitlin resolved to find Peter. She didn't care what some strange time traveler had told her. She'd disobey angels if she had to. Peter was hers, and he became hers for a reason. Why else would he wash up here? Why else would he return her love if she was just supposed to stay away in the end?

Time travelers and angels be damned.

She powered up her new laptop and connected to the neighbors' wireless. She 'Googled' Peter Petrelli and began her intensive search. She kept a glass of warm Irish coffee next to her for comfort.

--

Caitlin never expected that her poking around for the youngest Petrelli son would create some interest. She had emailed a few people, mostly relatives and old college friends. She even searched beyond Peter Petrelli to something more specifically - genetic mutations that caused humans to have special abilities. Her search led her to a Dr. Mohinder Suresh, who she had a feeling knew of Peter because they were both from New York, in a sense.

Though Caitlin wasn't stupid, and she supposed that asking outright about Peter's location could be dangerous. Obviously, her time traveling savior had warned against it, and given what she learned about Peter's brother, Nathan Petrelli, who was assassinated in front of him; she knew that security would be tight around the Petrellis. After such a tragedy, she knew anyone connected to them would not be so friendly toward outside interest.

So she sent him a different kind of email instead.

"Dear Dr. Mohinder Suresh,

My name is Caitlin, and I have read your father's book. I totally agree with his theories, in fact, I know they are true. My boyfriend has shown me some of his amazing abilities in secret: one of them being painting the future, another by moving objects with his mind, and another by shooting lightning from his hands.

He needs help with controlling his powers, so if you can help him, please mail me at this address.

Sincerely,

Caitlin XXXX"

And as the email darted into cyberspace, Caitlin felt her shoulders tense. She closed her eyes and thought of Peter. She smiled with optimism. She knew she'd find something out about Peter. She could feel it in her bones.

--

She was painting when there was a knock on the door of the tavern. She ran to it, but cautiously she opened the door a crack, looking outside.

"Can I help you?" she asked softly, and her eyes went wide with hope when she looked at the blond girl in front of her. She had long soft hair and golden skin. She smiled at Caitlin with her sparkling green eyes. Oddly enough, Caitlin felt at peace in this stranger's presence.

"Yes, I was looking for someone named Caitlin," she inquired, her American accent thick. Caitlin gladly opened the door, welcoming the girl inside.

"I'm Caitlin. Are you... here through Dr. Suresh?" Caitlin asked, and the girl seemed unsurprised.

"No... I'm Claire Bennet." She paused, watching Caitlin's face fall. "I'm here by Peter's request."

Caitlin's blood froze, and she immediately grabbed the girl's shoulders. "Peter? Peter! Peter sent you? Oh, thank God!" Caitlin realized she was squeezing Claire too hard, and she let go, still watching the girl with anticipation. "Is he... okay?"

Claire rewarded her with a sympathetic smile. What was it with Peter's friends and sympathy? Was there something she was missing?

"I came because Peter found out about you through Dr. Suresh. He knew that you were okay; Hiro saved you by his request."

Caitlin shook her head and sighed in exasperation. "I don't know where this is going. Why doesn't Peter want to see me?"

Claire looked away from Caitlin's piercing gaze sadly. "There was awhile when Peter didn't even want to see me. He's changed since I first met him. He's changed so much and sometimes it hurts to see that - to see the pain on his face."

Caitlin watched her, a hint of jealousy rising in her blood. She almost felt silly for wondering how Peter knew this girl and what their relationship was. She was awfully young, but somewhere in her eyes Caitlin could see echoes of Peter. It was strange.

Claire turned to her, obviously feeling the tension. "I'm special like Peter too, and so was his brother. In fact, it's kind of a family thing." Caitlin's eyes widened. "Nathan was my real father, and he was killed. He wanted to expose our powers, just like I had wanted. And Peter was going to go along with him. There were bad people known as the Company exploiting us, hunting us down and trying to control us." Caitlin listened intently as the girl continued with the story. Pretty soon, Caitlin learned what happened to Peter since they were separated in the future.

Peter had successfully stopped the virus from happening, but only after almost releasing it himself by trusting someone named Adam Monroe.

Caitlin sat down. Her heart felt heavy, and Claire looked at her with pity that she didn't mind so much anymore. Suddenly, she felt like an outsider, and even as Claire told her everything, she strangely didn't feel like she deserved to know anything about Peter or his family. She felt weak and helpless compared to the things they could do, and she wasn't the sort of person who would feel that way - toward anyone.

"I assume you came here to ease my questions, yet to still warn me like the other one did," Caitlin snapped, her voice shaking. She met Claire's eyes, which had become unreadable. The girl shifted nervously in front of her. "You're telling me to stay away too."

"They - Peter's family - told me to go to you. They thought you'd understand everything from me, since Peter is so deeply important to both of us," Claire answered, but Caitlin glowered at her. She didn't think it was right to send a young girl out here because of that, and she also didn't want to be lumped with any other person when it came to how she felt about Peter. Before Peter even remembered anyone from his past, she felt like he was entirely hers. She didn't know the story with Peter and his niece, but the feelings couldn't be the same - she wouldn't accept it. Peter and her - they shared something that no one could touch, and now his family was trying to keep her away.

Peter was trying to keep her away too, and she couldn't believe it.

She lifted her chin and met Claire challengingly. "I'm not going to give up on him." Her tone was thick and biting. "You can tell his family and Peter himself I won't give up on him. I'll come to America and look for him myself."

Caitlin expected Claire to be angry with her, or at most, a little perturbed at her initiative. Instead, the girl seemed more relaxed than when she walked into the place.

"I thought it was cruel, you know," Claire said finally, pulling out a small white envelope and setting it on the counter. "When they told me to tell you to stay away, I was against it. I even argued with Peter, and he tried to convince me that it was too dangerous for you to come to him." She rolled her eyes, and her smile made Caitlin's body feel lighter. "Peter always thinks that he's putting everyone in danger just by being around him. He sometimes forgets that his friends and family already know the danger, but they love him enough to be with him anyway."

Claire put her hand on Caitlin's arm. "I know Peter wants to see you, but he's scared. He's very vulnerable right now since Nathan died, and he knows that people are still after him." She paused and squeezed Caitlin's arm. Caitlin felt tears form in her eyes, and her hope soared with every one of Claire's words. "He'd rather you be safe here than in danger with him. That's how much he loves you. I knew it every time he argued with me to get on that plane and come talk to you."

"Claire..." Caitlin breathed, her voice choking. Automatically, the blond girl drew Caitlin into her arms, holding her as she cried. She hadn't felt this safe since she'd been in Peter's arms, which had felt like it'd been so long ago. Hearing Claire's words gave her some sense of peace, and she was happy to find someone who was on her side - who understood what it was like to love someone who wanted to push her away because they didn't want to put her in danger.

But she was a stubborn woman, and she was sure Claire only told her those things because she could tell Caitlin was a strong woman too.

Caitlin looked down at the envelope Claire left her, watching her as she started toward to the door. She put her hands in her pockets and shot Caitlin one last smile.

"If someone asks, I was here to dissuade you from seeing him." Caitlin nodded readily. "Everything else is between us."

The door creaked open, and before the young girl stepped out, Caitlin shouted "Thank you" before she disappeared down the somber streets of Cork, presumably back to the airport.

Immediately, Caitlin scooped up the envelope and ripped it open. Inside, there was a piece of notebook paper with bubbly cursive writing. Caitlin's eyes scanned the paper, and she brought her hand up to her mouth. She let out a relieved guffaw. She scanned the paper a hundred times over, feeling courage rise in her belly.

"C- Peter's new cell number: (555) 456-3452. If that doesn't work, try (555) 231-5493. That's my number, and I'll always let you know where to find him if you've lost him again. Sincerely, CB."

She let the tears of joy run freely down her cheeks, and she inhaled a large breath. She looked to the phone and smiled, silently thanking Peter's kindred niece again.

The future was bright and malleable in front of her, but only one thing was certain.

No matter how many devils and angels wanted to deny her - their reunion was nigh.

END


End file.
